Disrupt SF 2012 Coverage

Almost a week ago, we kicked off our Hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt. Before the event started, Ford had already picked a number of teams that would get access to the otherwise closed Ford AppLink API. The winner of this challenge was BeCouply, which developed the Dates.fm app for suggesting interesting dates to Ford’s in-car interface. Date.fm, the team says, “lets you tune in… Read More

Argentina’s tech startups scene continues to bloom and we saw that at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.
Despite a still nascent VC scene, there’s plenty of talent, some key universities and a growing number of success stories.
Three Melons, the Argentinean game studio that created Bola Social Soccer, was recently acquired by Playdom for instance.
We did a fast dash through… Read More

The great thing about country-based pavilions at TechCrunch Disrupt is that one can see innovation and new tech companies coming from countries you might not have associated with startups before. As you will have read in this guest post by Eduardo Serrano last week, the shift toward emerging markets shows that Mexico is on its way up in tech. Mexico’s economy is growing 40 percent… Read More

At TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Wallwisher showed us the new version of their web application. Wallwisher allows user to write, collaborate and share content on an empty canvas.
The idea is deliberately simple in order to allow many uses for the service. For example, you could create noticeboards, scrapbooks, playlists, charts, polls, use it to brainstorm or to manage events. Usage… Read More

Online dating is a huge business, but most dating sites are still stuck in the 90s. They don’t take advantage of developments in video and social networking, and they don’t have good mobile experiences.
Here are a few startups I met at TechCrunch Disrupt SF that want to bring online dating into the modern era. Read More

When I read Spestle’s pitch for Startup Alley I thought it was either a prank or a goofy placeholder for a stealth startup: “Spestle lets you create custom seasoning & herb blends.”
But Spestle is real and serious. It’s a service that enables you to create a custom seasoning blend, complete with your own packaging, and sell it online. When someone buys your spice… Read More

After nearly three days and plenty of pitches, our list of 30 hungry startups was trimmed down until there were only seven startups left standing: Expect Labs, Gyft, Lit Motors, Prior Knowledge, Saya, YourMechanic and Zumper. Their task? To take the stage one last time in front of our amazing panel of expert judges — Mike Arrington, Roelof Botha, Chris Dixon, Eric Eldon, David Lee… Read More

Brazil is rapidly taking its place in the tech world as a fertile place for startups. Evidence of that was clear at TechCrunch Disrupt this week in San Francisco.
In order to give you a sense of the sheer scale of the Brazilian presence, we came up with a new format — rapid-fire one sentence pitches. Check it out. Read More

Pick1 has raised $1 million from private investors for its opinions database and automated market research platform that serves as an open graph for opinions.
The investment is what the founders say represents a bridge round for future funding. It includes a $535,000 investment led by ChileGlobal Angels that brings the aggregated investment raised to date to $1 million. Among the investors… Read More

Right after the Apple press conference, an all-star panel took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. Jim Dalrymple (The Loop), John Gruber (Daring Fireball), Tim Stevens (Engadget), MG Siegler (TechCrunch columnist) and Jason Snell (Macworld) told Darrell Etherington and the audience their first impressions on the new iPhone. Among the famous Apple writers, The Loop’s… Read More